Half of every plane leaving Africa is headed to Europe…

Africa scheduled 27.3 million airline seats in August 2026—Europe dominates with 50% share

Europe remains the undisputed king of African aviation. According to OAG’s August 2026 scheduled capacity data, as reported by Nairametrics, Europe accounted for 10.8 million of Africa’s 21.5 million scheduled international seats — representing 50.35% of total international capacity. The Middle East ranked second with 4.93 million seats, while intra-African international capacity stood at just 4.53 million seats despite growing 10% year-on-year.

Total scheduled capacity across Africa reached 27.3 million seats, up 8.4% from August 2025. Nigeria was the standout performer, with scheduled capacity surging 37% to 1.22 million seats — the fastest growth among Africa’s top ten markets. Ethiopian Airlines retained its position as the continent’s largest carrier with 2.19 million seats, while Cairo International Airport remained Africa’s busiest with 1.85 million scheduled seats.